The F-16 Fighting Falcon, which has been in production since the late '70's is one of my favorite aircraft, along with the Mustang and the Corsair from the WWII era. This jigsaw puzzle, F-16 Fighting Falcon reminded me of instrument ground school in Fort Wayne, Indiana. One evening, Kathy, our instructor, asked if we had ever seen night takeoffs of the local Air National Guard 122 Fighter Wing, also known as the 'Blacksnakes'? She said we will take a break about 7pm and go watch the afterburner take-offs. As I am writing this post and researching links, I see that the Blacksnakes are transitioning to A-10 Warthogs, another awesome fighter, though I prefer the Falcon.
As the anticipation grew and the clock neared 7pm, we ventured outside to watch the show. The active runway that night was 23, meaning they would takeoff to the southwest. As you can see from the airport diagram, we were located at the yellow circle, so we were very close, I would say about 300 feet from 23.
Because FWA had a fighter wing, they had a runway that was almost 12,000 feet long. As the F-16's spooled up their high pitched engines, they taxied from the east side of the field to the north end of 23. As they positioned onto the runway by pairs, the four aircraft took off one at a time, kicking in their afterburners and launching into the night sky. As we stood nearby, our bodies shook as the planes took off. It was just a fantastic experience!
As each flew down range, you could still see their afterburners, probably 30-50 miles away. It was something I will always remember and appreciate of our aviation technology and our fighting men & women of the Air Services.
I searched for a YouTube video to give you a small taste of the experience and found one that at least gives you a bit of the rumble.
Flying is a great experience and something I always wanted to learn. I finally got my 'license to learn' in 1999 and have enjoyed many flying experiences since then. Check out any nearby airport and you can usually find an introductory flight for under $100. Try it out, you might just get hooked!
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